The Return to Hell’s Kitchen: Daredevil Season Two

Grab your seats, class is in session.

One of the biggest Marvel surprises of recent history was the Daredevil television series on Netflix. Season One was absolutely amazing, well beyond anything I had expected it to be. I have watched it through six times and could watch it an infinite amount of times more. For me, it never gets old. Figuring a second season of this show was inevitable, I wasn’t shocked when it was announced, but I was extremely excited. The new season was going to bring at least two classic characters to life with the arrival of Elektra and the Punisher. And let me say, I was not disappointed.

I try to avoid giving away spoilers for movies or television series, so it won’t be too easy to give a review of this second season, but I’ll do that best I can. The main story line of the season is the introduction of John Bernthal as Frank Castle, the Punisher. The majority of what we see revolves around him and his interaction with Daredevil. The play back and forth between both characters is fantastic. It starts as a feeling of almost yin and yang, good version evil, with Daredevil as the good guy and Castle as the bad guy. As the season goes on, the line definitely begins to feel blurred. You can feel Daredevil’s internal struggle as he begins to realize that he and the Punisher are not all the different. Daredevil is just the one step away from becoming the Punisher, that one last step away from going over the edge. Castle even tells him as much by saying “You’re just one bad day away from being me.” And as if this struggle (both internal and external) isn’t bad enough for Murdock, the old flame Elektra returns to complicate things even further. The story that takes over for part of the season which revolves around Elektra is a pretty slow build, but when it explodes, it explodes in a huge way, taking things to a whole new level of story and vastly changing the landscape. Without giving too much away, just know that along with Elektra comes the return of Stick, and with the return of Stick, comes the ninja clan known as the Hand. If you aren’t familiar with the Hand, just know they are a ninja clan of seemingly infinite numbers with ties to the supernatural. Their full on addition to this new season propels the show into another level of storytelling and possible story lines that will only help future seasons as well as potential crossovers. You can fully expect an Iron Fist crossover at some point, I would bet the house on it.

So, what did I like and what did I not like. Let’s start with what I did not like. There wasn’t much, but there were a few things. I was not a big fan of the actress who played Elektra. She had her moments, but overall I didn’t get that “perfect casting” feeling like I did with most of the rest of the cast. I also wasn’t a fan of how slow her story felt to me, but I understood why. You have to fill the entire season somehow and can’t take her story from 0-100 right away. The only other thing I did not like is very much a personal issue. It’s not something that at all takes away from the season, it’s just something I would have liked to have seen and I suppose it’s a minor spoiler. I apologize. But my only other issue was there was no reference or introduction of Bullseye. That rumor had floated around for a while, that he may show, and I wish he had. He is probably the most iconic Daredevil villain and needs to be added to this show. I think there were a few spots where at least a mention of him would have fit.

What did I like? Everything else. The main thing I can focus on here is John Bernthal. Look, I have been a Thomas Jane fan since seeing him in the Punisher movie that most people don’t like. I’m not a huge fan either, but I loved Jane’s Punisher. When they created the short called “Dirty Laundry” with him as Punisher (check it out on YouTube, it’s awesome) I was hoping it would launch him into the role again. After seeing Bernthal, though? I’m fine with his not being used. Bernthal was amazing. He IS Frank Castle. I can’t even begin to properly explain just how good he was. You just have to see it. He absolutely gave the “perfect casting” feel and I cannot WAIT to see how they use him in the future. He absolutely deserves to be in the Marvel Universe moving forward. I more than love the addition of the Hand, for the reasons I stated earlier. The store lines this opens up for the future have so much potential. And with the writing they currently have, which is just phenomenal, I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait another year for season three, which I assume is already in the works.

So did I like it? I think that’s fairly obvious. So is the fact that I’m already on episode six for my second viewing of the series. Take the time, binge watch this show. You will not be disappointed.

Until next time…

Class dismissed.